The United Kingdom gave the world Sir Issac Newton, Charles Darwin, William Shakespeare and the Beatles; it is home to the world’s largest foreign exchange market, the world’s richest football club- Manchester United and J.K.Rowling, the author of the hugely popular Harry Potter books. The Brits are precocious; they initiated the Industrial Revolution and for centuries have shaped the cultural outlook of the rest of the world. Being an erstwhile colonial power, the British Isles have close cultural links with their former dominions, particularly where the English language is still spoken and written. Their culture has been vastly enriched and to an extent rejuvenated by immigrants from the Indian Subcontinent and the West Indies .

The British Isles teem with museums, universities, art galleries and concert halls. The British Museum , Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Gallery in London are packed with artefacts and are a must-see. Arguably the most famous centers of learning in the world, the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford reflect British erudition and undying thirst for knowledge. Perhaps no other man has fascinated the civilized world as William Shakespeare; his plays and ballads are evocative of man’s quest for the fundamental truths of life. Other notable British writers include Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters (Charlotte, Emily & Anne), Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and J.R.R.Tolkein. And poets like Robert Burns, Thomas Hardy, John Milton, Alfred Tennyson, Rudyard Kipling, Dylan Thomas and William Wordsworth continue to inspire generations of men with their compositions on nature and humankind.

In the past, Britain was described as a land without music, but it does support reputed orchestras like the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. And today, because of its location and other economic factors, London is one of the most important cities for music in the world, and is also home to the Royal Opera House. Also, British traditional music has been very influential abroad.

The United Kingdom has spawned the famous Rock and roll bands -The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd, Status Quo, Sex Pistols, Manic Street Preachers, Oasis, and Radiohead. It has also pioneered in various forms of electronic dance music such as acid house, drum and bass and trip hop, which were either wholly or partially developed in the country.

Visual artists from the United Kingdom include such luminaries as John Constable, Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, William Blake and J.M.W. Turner. In Britain the theatre is not a dying genre, it is very much alive and London is replete with theatres that stage plays and musicals, including the National Theatre.